Baby bottle sensor with content volume sensing and content deduction logic

ABSTRACT

A baby bottle sensor with content deduction logic is attachable to a baby bottle. The sensor uses programmed logic to deduce whether formula or some other fluid is being fed. Collected data is stored and reported to a paired Bluetooth device.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/937,095filed on Mar. 27, 2018.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates in general to nursing bottles for infants and, inparticular, to a baby bottle sensor with content volume sensing andcontent deduction logic.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many infants require bottle feeding because they cannot be breastfed,they require supplemental nutrition, they are cared for by a caretakerwho may feed them mother's milk or formula, or it is dictated byparental choice. Consequently, numerous designs and configurations forbaby bottles have been invented. Recently, so-called “smart bottles”have been invented. One type of smart bottles has an integrated volumesensor designed to measure and record a volume of fluid consumed fromthe bottle, and report it to a wirelessly connected device. However,bottles with integrated volume sensors are expensive because everybottle requires a sensor and a control circuit to drive the sensor, etc.Certain other smart bottle devices having similar functionality areconstructed as sleeves that receive a baby bottle and retain the bottlein a friction grip. Some even have orientation sensors to advise a userwhen the bottle is not supported at a proper angle for feeding a baby.

However, there is no known evidence of a smart bottle adapted to performbottle content deduction. Bottle content deduction is desirable becauseparents like to know what their babies are being fed at any particulartime when the baby is with a caregiver at home or at daycare. Theretherefore exists a need for a baby bottle and sensor with content volumesensing and content deduction logic that overcomes the shortcomingsassociated with the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a baby bottlesensor with content volume sensing and content deduction logic.

The invention therefore provides a baby bottle sensor with contentvolume sensing and content deduction logic, comprising in combination: avolume sensor to determine a volume of fluid in a baby bottle attachedto the baby bottle sensor when the baby bottle is in an uprightposition; a motion sensor adapted to determine an orientation of thebaby bottle sensor with respect to a horizon, and to detect motion ofthe baby bottle sensor in real time; and a central processing unit thatexecutes program instructions to: receive signals from the motion sensorand further adapted to analyze the received signals to determine whethermovements indicative of a mixing action for mixing formula powder withwater in the baby bottle occurs prior to receiving signals indicative ofa feeding of the baby from the baby bottle; deduce from the receivedsignals whether formula that requires mixing, or some fluid that doesnot require mixing is contained in the baby bottle; and record thededuction in an electronic bottle record associated with the babybottle.

The invention further provides a baby bottle sensor with content volumesensing and content deduction logic, comprising in combination: acapacitive sensing system that senses a volume of fluid in a baby bottleattached to the baby bottle sensor when the baby bottle is in an uprightposition; a motion sensor adapted to determine an orientation of thebaby bottle sensor with respect to a horizon, and to detect motion ofthe baby bottle sensor in real time; and a central processing unit thatexecutes program instructions to: receive signals from the motion sensorand further adapted to analyze the received signals to determine whethermovements indicative of a mixing action for mixing formula powder withwater in the baby bottle occurs prior to receiving signals indicative ofa feeding of the baby from the baby bottle; deduce from the receivedsignals whether formula that requires mixing, or some fluid that doesnot require mixing is contained in the baby bottle; and record thededuction in an electronic bottle record associated with the babybottle.

The invention yet further provides a baby bottle sensor with contentvolume sensing and content deduction logic, comprising in combination: ababy bottle sensor base upon which a baby bottle attached to the babybottle sensor rests; a capacitive sensing system with a capacitivesensor and a capacitive ground respectively housed in opposed elongatedupright arms connected to the base and closely contacting opposite sidesof the baby bottle, the capacitive sensing system being adapted to sensea volume of fluid in the baby bottle attached to the baby bottle sensorwhen the baby bottle is in an upright position; a motion sensing systemthat includes a digital accelerometer and a digital gyroscope, themotion sensing system being adapted to generate signals analyzed by acentral processing unit to determine an orientation of the baby bottlesensor with respect to a horizon, and detect motion of the baby bottlesensor in real time; and the central processing unit further adapted toexecute program instructions to: receive signals from the motion sensorand further adapted to analyze the received signals to determine whethermovements indicative of a mixing action for mixing formula powder withwater in the baby bottle occurs prior to receiving signals indicative ofa feeding of the baby from the baby bottle; deduce from the receivedsignals whether formula that requires mixing, or some fluid that doesnot require mixing is contained in the baby bottle; and record thededuction in an electronic bottle record associated with the babybottle; and a Bluetooth transceiver adapted to receive data from thecentral processing unit and communicate the data to a paired Bluetoothdevice that runs programs instructions for receiving and processing thedata and displaying the processed data in a user interface of the pairedBluetooth device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Having thus generally described the nature of the invention, referencewill now be made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sensor with volume sensing and contentdeduction logic in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of a baby bottle attached to thesensor shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the baby bottle with attachedsensor shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4a is a side elevational view of the bottle portion of the babybottle with attached sensor shown in FIGS. 2 and 3;

FIG. 4b is a top plan view of the bottle portion of the baby bottleshown in FIG. 4 a;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the baby bottle portion and attachedsensor taken along lines 5-5 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the baby bottle and attached sensortaken along lines 6-6 of FIG. 2, showing the release of formula powderinto the baby bottle;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of typical mixing actions following therelease or addition of dry formula powder to a baby bottle shown, forexample, in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the sensor withvolume sensing and content deduction logic in accordance with theinvention;

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of another embodiment of a baby bottleattached to the sensor shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a front elevational view of the baby bottle with the attachedsensor shown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a side elevational view of the bottle portion of the babybottle with the attached sensor shown in FIGS. 9 and 10;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of yet another embodiment of the sensorwith content volume sensing and content deduction logic in accordancewith the invention, for use with a generic baby bottle;

FIG. 13 is a side elevational view of a generic baby bottle insertedinto the sensor shown in FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a side elevational view of the generic baby bottle insertedinto the sensor shown in FIG. 12, showing the manual addition of formulapowder to the generic baby bottle;

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a control circuitfor the sensors with content volume sensing and content deduction logicshown in FIG. 1, FIG. 8 and FIG. 12;

FIGS. 16a-16c are, collectively, a flow chart of one embodiment of logicexecuted by a central processing unit of the control circuit show inFIG. 15.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The invention provides a baby bottle sensor with a content volume sensorand content deduction logic. The baby bottle sensor has a base with anopposed pair of upright arms that respectively contact opposite sides ofa baby bottle. In some embodiments the baby bottle sensor positivelylocks to a bottom of a compatible baby bottle. In other embodiments, theupright arms of the sensor have a resilient, slip-resistant innersurface that grips the outer perimeter of a generic baby bottle toretain the bottle in the sensor. The sensor includes a control circuitand a Bluetooth communications module. The control circuit includes thecontent volume sensor that determines a volume of fluid contained in thebaby bottle. The control circuit also includes a motion sensor thatgenerates signals that are analyzed for indications that formula isbeing mixed in the bottle and/or a baby is being fed with the bottle. Ifmixing is detected, the control circuit deduces that the baby bottlecontains baby formula. If no mixing is detected prior to feeding, thecontrol circuit deduces that another fluid, such as breast milk, wateror juice, is being fed to the infant.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a baby bottle sensor10 (hereinafter simply “sensor 10”) with volume sensing and contentdeduction logic in accordance with the invention. The sensor 10 has abase 12 that houses a control circuit and a Bluetooth communicationsmodule, as will be explained below in detail with reference to FIG. 15.Integral with, or separately molded and affixed to, the base 12 areopposed upright arms 14 a, 14 b that closely contact opposite sides of acompatible baby bottle (see FIGS. 2 and 3). In this embodiment, eachupright arm 14 a, 14 b has a flat inner surface 16 a, 16 b. The flatinner surfaces 16 a, 16 b mate with corresponding flat surfaces on thecompatible baby bottle, as will be explained in more detail below withreference to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5. The upright arms 14 a, 14 b are at leastpartially hollow and respectively house one of an elongated capacitivesensor and an elongated capacitive ground of a capacitance sensingsystem, as will also be explained below in more detail with reference toFIG. 15. The shape of the upright arms 14 a, 14 b respectively providespace to accommodate the one of the capacitive sensor and the capacitiveground (see FIG. 15). The upright arms 14 a, 14 b may optionally houseelectronic noise shielding (not shown) to shield the capacitive sensorand the capacitive ground from extraneous electronic noise, as will beunderstood by those skilled in the art. In this embodiment, therespective upright arms 14 a, 14 b have robust inwardly curved sidesurfaces, 18 a and 18 b on upright arm 14 a and 18 c and 18 d on uprightarm 14 b. The robust inwardly curved side surfaces lend rigidity andstrength to the respective upright arms 14 a, 14 b. A pair of opposed,pivotally hinged lock buttons 20 a, 20 b are supported by the base 12between the opposed upright arms 14 a, 14 b. An inner top edge of eachlock button 20 a, 20 b includes an inwardly projecting lock tab 22 a, 22b for locking the sensor 10 to a compatible baby bottle, as will beexplained below in detail with reference to FIG. 5. In one embodiment,at least one of the upright arms 14 a, 14 b supports a light emittingdiode (LED) 24 used to provide visual status signals to a user of thesensor, as will be explained below in more detail with reference toFIGS. 16a-16c . In one embodiment, the base 12, upright arms 14 a, 14 band lock buttons 20 a, 20 b are injection molded in a manner wellunderstood in the art using a thermoplastic such as a UV stabilizedpolyethylene, for example.

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of one embodiment of the compatiblebaby bottle 30 with the sensor 10 shown in FIG. 1. The baby bottle 30has many of the features described in Applicants U.S. Pat. No. 9,580,227which issued Feb. 28, 2017, the specification of which is incorporatedherein in its entirety. As explained in Applicant's issued patent, thebaby bottle includes a bottle portion 32, a collar portion 34, and abottle cap 36. The collar portion 34 has integrated opposing seal platerelease buttons 38 a, 38 b, the function of which is known, butexplained below with reference to FIG. 6. A bottom end of the bottleportion 32 is molded to accommodate engagement of the lock tabs 22 a, 22b (see FIG. 1) of lock buttons 20 a-20 b (only 20 a can be seen in thisview), as will be explained below in more detail with reference to FIG.5.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the baby bottle 30 with the sensor10 shown in FIG. 2. As can be seen, the bottle portion 32 has opposedflat side surfaces 40 a, 40 b, only one, 40 a, of which can be seen inthis view. The flat side surfaces 40 a, 40 b will be explained in moredetail below with reference to FIGS. 4a and 4b . The opposed flat sidesurfaces 40 a, 40 b mate with the corresponding flat surfaces 16 a, 16 bof the upright arms 14 a, 14 b of the sensor 10, described above withreference to FIG. 1.

FIG. 4a is a side elevational view of the bottle portion 32 of the babybottle 30 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. As explained above, the bottom of thebottle portion 32 is molded with opposed grooves 42 a, 42 b to provideengagement for the lock tabs 22 a, 22 b shown in FIG. 1, which will beexplained below in more detail with reference to FIG. 5.

FIG. 4b is a top plan view of the bottle portion 32 of the baby bottle30 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Both of the opposed flat side surfaces 40 a,40 b of the bottle portion 32 can be seen.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the baby bottle portion 32 withsensor 10 taken along lines 5-5 of FIG. 3. The engagement of therespective lock tabs 22 a, 22 b of the respective lock buttons 20 a, 20b in the respective opposed grooves 42 a, 42 b can be clearly seen. Thelock buttons 20 a, 20 b are respectively pivotally hinged to the sensorbase by respective hinge pins 43 a, 43 b, for example. Digital pressures46 a, 46 b applied by a user against a bottom of the respective lockbuttons 20 a, 20 b overcomes a resistive force of respective torsionsprings 44 a, 44 b to rotate the respective lock tabs 22 a, 22 b out ofthe respective lock grooves 42 a, 42 b and release the baby bottle 30from the sensor 10. The sensor base 12 includes a housing 48 that housesa control circuit 50, which will be explained below with reference toFIG. 15, as noted above. The housing 48. includes a fluid-sealed accessport (not shown) to permit changing of a battery that powers the controlcircuit 50.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the baby bottle 30 with sensor 10taken along lines 6-6 of FIG. 2, showing formula powder 60 beingreleased from the baby bottle 30 by a user 70 pressing the opposed sealplate release buttons 38 a, 38 b, as described in Applicants issuedpatent incorporated herein by reference. One of the upright arms 14 a,14 b houses a capacitive sensor 60 and the other houses a capacitiveground 62 for sensing a fluid level in the bottle portion 32, as will beexplained in more detail below with reference to FIG. 15. The capacitivesensor 60 and the capacitive ground 62 are respectively electricallyconnected to the control circuit 50 housed in the housing 48 of thesensor base 12.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of typical mixing actions following therelease of the dry formula powder 60 shown in FIG. 6 or the addition ofdry formula powder 60 shown in FIG. 14. It has been empiricallydetermined that, in general, users 70 either mix formula with a pumpingaction 72, in which the bottle 30 with the sensor 10 is vigorously movedup and down in an arc by pivoting the forearm from the elbow, or in aside-to-side oscillation 74 by twisting the forearm. Both mixing actionswork well, and each can be detected using appropriate electroniccircuitry, as will be explained in more detail with reference to FIGS.15 and 16 a-c.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a sensor 80 withvolume sensing and content deduction logic in accordance with theinvention. The sensor 80 is identical to the sensor 10 described aboveexcept that it is configured to accept a round bottle portion 92, bestseen in FIG. 11. The sensor 80 has opposed upright arms 84 a, 84 b thatrespectively house one of a capacitive sensor and a capacitive ground.The capacitive sensor and the capacitive ground are shaped toaccommodate the curved sidewalls of the upright arms 84 a, 84 b. Thebase 82 is identical to the base 12 described above except in the shapeof a top surface thereof.

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of another embodiment of a baby bottle90 attached to the sensor 80 shown in FIG. 8. The baby bottle 90 has acylindrical bottle portion 92 with an outwardly curved top rim 94. Inall other respects, the baby bottle 90 is identical to the baby bottle30 described above, and will not be further described.

FIG. 10 is a front elevational view of the baby bottle 90 with theattached sensor 80 shown in FIG. 9. As can be seen, on outer surface ofthe top rim 94 of the bottle portion 92 is flush with an outer surfaceof the upright arms 84 a, 84 b.

FIG. 11 is a side elevational view of the bottle portion 92 of the babybottle 90 shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. The cylindrical bottle portion 92 hasan uninterrupted circumferential groove 94 around the bottom of thebottle portion 92.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of yet another embodiment of a baby bottlesensor 100 with content volume sensing and content deduction logic inaccordance with the invention. The sensor 100 is designed for use with ageneric baby bottle 110 (see FIG. 13), which is inserted between uprightarms 104 a, 104 b of the sensor 100. The sensor 100 is identical to thesensor 80 described above, except that it is configured to secure thegeneric baby bottle 110 using a friction fit within the upright arms 104a, 104 b of the sensor 100. The opposed upright arms 104 a, 104 brespectively house one of a capacitive sensor and a capacitive ground(see FIG. 15). The capacitive sensor and the capacitive ground areshaped to fit within the curved sidewalls of the upright arms 104 a, 104b. Inside surfaces 106 a, 106 b of the upright arms 104 a, 104 b areprovided with a surface texture that is frictionally adherent to bothglass and plastic bottles so either bottle is held securely between theupright arms 104 a, 104 b until the bottle 110 is intentionally removedby lifting on the bottle 110 with one hand while holding down the sensor100 with the other hand. The base 102 of the sensor 100 is identical tothe base 82 described above in FIG. 8, except that it does not includeopposed lock buttons.

FIG. 13 is a side elevational view of the generic baby bottle 110inserted into the sensor 100 shown in FIG. 12. As is well known in theart, the generic baby bottle 110 has a nipple ring 112 that connects anipple 114 to the bottle 110. When not in use, the nipple 114 is coveredby a removable cap 116. As explained above, the baby bottle 110 is heldsecurely within the upright arms 104 a, 104 b (only 104 a is visible inthis view) of the sensor 100 by a friction fit between the bottle 110and the respective sensor arms 104 a, 104 b.

FIG. 14 is a side elevational view of the generic baby bottle 110inserted into the sensor 100 shown in FIG. 12 with the nipple ring andcap removed to permit the addition of formula powder 60. Formula power60 must be manually added to the generic baby bottle 110 using ameasuring scoop 122 provided by a manufacturer of the formula powder 60.After the formula powder 60 is added to the bottle 110 and the nipplering is replaced, the bottle 110 is agitated by a user 70 employing oneof the methods described above with reference to FIG. 7 to mix theformula powder 60 with water 118 in the bottle 110.

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a control circuit 50for the sensors 10, 80 and 100 with content volume sensing and contentdeduction logic shown respectively in FIG. 1, FIG. 8 and FIG. 12. Itshould be understood that the control circuit 50 can be realized in manydifferent ways and will evolve over time as circuit implementationtechnology evolves. The control circuit 50 includes a central processingunit (CPU) 200 that monitors signals from all sensing systems andexecutes programmed instructions 206 to perform functions that will bedescribed below in detail with reference to FIGS. 16a-c . The controlcircuit 50 further includes motion sensing 208 which in one embodimentincludes a digital accelerometer 210 and a digital gyroscope 212, wellknown in the art. As described above, the control circuit 50 furtherincludes the capacitive sensing system 214 connected to the CPU 200. Thecapacitive sensing system 214 is in turn electronically connected to thecapacitive sensor 16 a and capacitive ground 16 b. As well understood inthe art, the capacitive sensing system 214 includes resonant circuitdrivers (not shown) that generate an electric drive frequency for thecapacitive sensor 16 a and the capacitive ground 16 b. The controlcircuit 50 further includes power management 220. The power management220 is provided with an interface for connection to an external powersource and/or a wireless charging system 224, both of which are wellknown in the art. Power management is also provided with an interfacewith a rechargeable battery 226, which provides operating power to allcomponents of the control circuit 50. A memory module 202, which may beintegral with the CPU 200, includes memory management 204, programinstructions 206 and data storage for data collected by the CPU 200while executing the program instructions 206.

The control circuit 50 further includes control circuits to drive lightemitting diode(s) and a sound generator, which may be respectively usedalone or in unison to communicate with a user of the sensor 10. In oneembodiment, the control circuit 50 includes a light emitting diode (LED)control 228 which drives LEDs 24 in a manner well known in the art, andaudio control 232 that drives a beep generator 234, which may beimplemented as a micro-speaker, for example. A data interface 236receives selected data from the CPU 200 and passes it to a Bluetoothtransceiver 238 when a Bluetooth connection 239 is established with apaired Bluetooth device 240. The paired Bluetooth device 240 executesprograms instructions for receiving and processing the data anddisplaying the processed data in a user interface (not shown) of thepaired Bluetooth device 240. In one embodiment, the program instructionsexecuted by the paired Bluetooth device 240 are packaged in an InfantFeeding Monitoring and Analysis application 250 for the displayinginformation collected by the control circuit 50. The specifications forthe Infant Feeding Monitoring and Analysis application 250 is beyond thescope of this disclosure, apart from a high-level description of thedata that may be collected and communicated to the paired Bluetoothdevice 240, which is described below with reference to FIGS. 16a -c.

FIGS. 16a-16c are a flow chart of logic used by a central processingunit of the control circuit 50 show in FIG. 15. The CPU 200 operatesmost of the time in a low power “sleep” mode that only monitors signalsfrom motion sensing 208. When movement of the sensor is detected, theCPU 200 first determines (at 300) if there is a bottle attached to thesensor 10, 80, 100 (hereinafter referred to simply as sensor 10). Thisis done by first checking the memory 202 (at 300) to determine if a“bottle record” already exists, which gives a positive indication that abottle is attached to the sensor). The bottle record is a data recordassociated with and maintained for each bottle attached to the sensor10. The bottle record is opened when the bottle is attached to thesensor 10, and closed when the bottle is detached from the sensor 10. Ifa bottle record does not exist, the CPU 200 queries (at 300) capacitivesensing 214 to determine if a bottle has been attached to the sensor 10.If there is no bottle attached to the sensor 10, the CPU 200 returns tothe low power sleep state (at 302) until motion is again detected (at304). When a bottle is first attached to the sensor 10, the CPU 200creates the bottle record (at 306) with a unique identifier and storesthe bottle record in the memory 202 (see FIG. 15). It then monitorsmotion sensing 208 for a predetermined period of time to determine (at308) if movement indicating a mixing action is occurring. If the mixingaction is not detected, motion sensing 208 is monitored (at 310) for apredetermined period of time to determine if the bottle is in a feedingorientation and feeding is occurring. Feeding from the bottle can bededuced by monitoring output from the accelerometer 210 to detect arhythmic oscillation of bottle while the digital gyroscope 212 indicatesthat the baby bottle is at an inclination at which feeding is probable.If the bottle is not inclined at a feeding inclination, the CPU 200monitors motion sensing 208 to determine (at 312) if the bottle is in anupright position. If the bottle is in an upright position, the CPU 200determines whether a fluid volume of the bottle has already beenmeasured (at 314). If the fluid volume has not already been measured,capacitive sensing 214 is activated to measure the volume of fluidcontained in the bottle (at 320) and the volume is recorded in thebottle record along with a current time stamp. The CPU 200 then resumesthe low power sleep state (at 316) until motion is once more detected(at 318).

If feeding was detected at 310, without detecting a mixing operation at308, the CPU 200 deduces that something other than formula (breast milkfor example) is being fed and the bottle record is updated (at 322) witha current time stamp and an indication that a fluid that is not formulais being fed. Immediately thereafter, the CPU 200 determines (at 324) ifa pre-feeding fluid volume in the bottle has been measured. If not, theCPU 200 executes program instructions (at 338) to send signals to LEDcontrol 228 to flash a red LED(s) and program instructions to audiocontrol 232 to emit “unhappy” beeps that are audible to the user 70until motion sensing 208 indicates (at 340) that the bottle is supportedin a stable upright position so the fluid volume can be measured. Oncethe pre-feeding fluid volume has been measured, the CPU 200 updates thebottle record with the pre-feeding volume and a time stamp (at 342) andexecutes program instructions to signal LED control 228 to flash greenLED(s) and signal audio control 232 to generate “happy” beeps. A feedingsession is then opened (at 332) and monitoring continues, as will beexplained below with reference to FIG. 16 b.

If mixing was detected (at 308), the time and the event are recorded (at334) in the bottle record. If the user 70 puts the sensor 10, on abottle immediately prior to mixing the formula, the volume of the fluidin the bottle will be unknown. Therefore, it is determined (at 336) ifthe fluid volume has been measured after the mixing action has ceased.If the fluid volume is known, a feeding session is opened (at 332). Ifnot, the CPU 200 executes program instructions to send signals to LEDcontrol 228 to flash a red LED(s) and program instructions to sendsignals to audio control 232 to emit “unhappy” beeps that are audible tothe user 70 (at 338) until the bottle is supported in a stable uprightposition (determined at 340) so the pre-feeding fluid volume can bemeasured. Once the pre-feeding fluid volume has been measured usingcapacitive sensing 214, the CPU 200 updates (at 342) the bottle recordwith the pre-feeding fluid volume and a current time stamp, executesprogram instructions to signal LED control 228 to flash green LED(s),and executes program instructions to signal audio control 232 togenerate “happy beeps”. A feeding session 332 is then opened (at 332)and monitoring for motion continues, as will be explained below withreference to FIG. 16 b.

Anyone familiar with feeding babies understands that feeding thecontents of a bottle to a baby may or may not be a continuous process.The baby may be distracted, fall asleep for a while, becomedisinterested and want to rest or play for some time before resumingtheir feeding, or for any number of reasons unrelated to the babyitself. In order to provide coherent and comprehensible data to aparent, the concept of a “feeding session” is used to agglomeratefeeding data. A feeding session, as explained below, once opened remainsopen until: a) the bottle is detached from the sensor 10; or b) feedingceases for the duration of a predetermined timeout period. More than onefeeding session may be associated with a bottle record, as will bedescribed below.

FIG. 16b provides a high-level symbolic overview of program instructionsexecuted by the CPU 200 during a feeding session. The CPU 200 executesprogram instructions to analyze signals from motion sensing 208 duringthe feeding session (at 340) to determine whether the infant iscontinuing to drink fluid from the bottle. As described above, feedingis detected by determining an inclination of the bottle with respect toa horizon, and a rhythmic oscillation of the bottle as the baby sucks onthe nipple. If feeding stops and the capacitive sensing 214 indicatesthat the sensor 10 has been removed from the bottle (at 344), thefeeding session is closed (at 345) and the CPU 200 executes programedinstructions for a post bottle detachment process, as will be describedbelow with reference to FIG. 16c . If it is determined that feeding hasceased (at 342) but the bottle has not been detached, the CPU 200executes program instructions to update the bottle record with the eventand a time stamp (at 346). The CPU 200 then executes programinstructions to analyze signals from motion sensing 208 to determine ifthe bottle has been placed in an upright position (at 348). If so, theCPU 200 executes program instructions (at 360) to activate capacitivesensing 214 to measure the fluid volume in the bottle and record it inthe bottle record along with a time stamp. The CPU then executes programinstructions to activate the Bluetooth transceiver 238 to determine ifthere is a paired Bluetooth device 240 available (at 386). If a pairedBluetooth device 240 is available, the CPU executes program instructionsto activate the data interface 236 to upload (at 388) any data notuploaded since a last time a paired Bluetooth device 240 was available.The CPU 200 then executes programed instructions to determine (at 380)if a timeout clock it maintains is running, and if not, the timeoutclock is started (at 382). The CPU 200 then executes programedinstructions to check the timeout clock (at 354) to determine if thetimeout clock has expired. If the CPU 200 determines that the timeoutclock has expired (at 354), the CPU 200 executes programed instructionsto determine if the feeding session is closed (at 362). If the feedingsession has not been closed, the CPU 200 executes programed instructionsto close the feeding session (at 364), enters low power sleep mode (at366) and monitors motion sensing 208 (at 368) until motion is detected(at 368). When motion is detected (at 368), the CPU 200 executesprogramed instructions to monitor motion sensing 214 to determine iffeeding has resumed (at 370). If it is determined that feeding hasresumed, the CPU 200 executes programed instructions to open a newfeeding session, record the event and time in the bottle record and turnoff the timeout clock (at 372). The CPU 200 then executes programinstructions to return to the feeding session (at 340).

If analysis of the signals output by motion sensing 208 does notindicate that feeding has resumed (at 370), the CPU 200 executesprogramed instructions to initiate capacitive sensing 214 to determineif the bottle has been detached (at 374). If the bottle has beendetached, the CPU 200 executes programed instructions for the postbottle detachment process, as will be described below with reference toFIG. 16c . If it is determined (at 374) that the bottle has not beendetached, the CPU 200 executes programed instructions to monitor motionsensing 208 to determine if the bottle is in an upright (volumemeasurable) position (at 376), if not the CPU 200 executes programedinstructions that loop it back to sleep mode (at 366, via 380, 354, 362and 364), as described above. However, if it is determined (at 376) thatthe bottle is in an upright position, the CPU 200 executes programedinstructions to check the bottle record to determine if there has beenfeeding since a last fluid volume measure was taken (at 382). If not,the CPU 200 executes programed instructions to loop back to sleep mode(at 366), as described above. If it is determined (at 382) that therehas been feeding since the last fluid volume measure, the CPU 200executes programed instructions to measure the fluid volume of thebottle and record the volume in the bottle record, with a time stamp (at384). The CPU 200 then executes programed instructions to activate theBluetooth transceiver 238 to search for a paired Bluetooth device 240(at 386). If a paired Bluetooth device 240 is found, data is uploaded(at 388) then the program instructions loop back to the low power sleepmode (at 366), as described above.

Returning back to the decision to determine if the bottle is in anupright position (at 348), if the bottle is not placed in a uprightposition after feeding ceases the CPU 200 executes programedinstructions to start the timeout clock (at 350), enters the low powersleep mode (at 352) for a predetermined time period. The CPU 200 thenexecutes program instructions to check the timeout clock to determine ifit has expired (at 354). If the timeout clock has not expired and nofurther motion is detected (at 356), the CPU 200 returns to sleep modefor the predetermined period of time (at 352). If further motion isdetected (at 356) the CPU 200 executes programed instructions to analyzesignals from motion sensing 208 to determine if feeding has resumed (at358). If it is determined that feeding has not resumed (at 358), thenthe CPU 200 executes programed instructions to determine if the bottlehas been detached (at 374). If so, the programmed instructions branch tothe post bottle detachment process, as will be described below withreference to FIG. 16c . If it is determined that the bottle has not beendetached (at 374), the CPU 200 executes programed instructions todetermine if the bottle is in an upright position (at 376) and eithermeasures, records and reports, if possible, the fluid volume; or checksthe timeout clock and loops back to low power sleep mode, all of whichhave been described above. However, if it is determined that feeding hasresumed (at 358), the CPU 200 executes programed instructions (at 360)to record the event and store it in the bottle record along with a timestamp, then return to the feeding session (at 340).

FIG. 16c provides a high-level symbolic overview of program instructionsexecuted by the CPU 200 in the post bottle detachment process after thebottle has been detached from the sensor 10, indicating that feedingfrom the bottle has terminated. After the CPU 200 determines, byanalyzing signals generated by capacitive sensing 214, that the bottlehas been detached, the CPU 200 executes programed instructions todetermine (at 392) if a current fluid volume of the bottle is known byexamining the bottle record. If the current fluid volume is not known,the CPU 200 executes programed instructions to instruct LED control 228to flash red LED(s) and instructs audio control 232 to emit “unhappy”warning beeps (at 394). The red LES(s) are flashed and beeps emitteduntil the sensor 10, 80, 100 is reattached to the bottle (at 396) andplaced in an upright position (at 398). Then the CPU 200 executesprogramed instructions to measure the fluid volume of the bottle (at400) and executes programed instructions to instruct LED control 228 toflash green LED(s) and audio control 232 to emit “happy” beeps (at 402)to confirm the volume measurement. Then the CPU 200 executes programedinstructions to record a closing time stamp in the bottle record andcloses the bottle record (at 404). The CPU 220 then executes programinstructions to determine if there is data that has not been uploaded(at 406). If all data was previously uploaded, the CPU 200 enters a lowpower sleep state (at 412). If there is remaining data to be uploaded,the CPU 200 executes program instructions to activate the Bluetoothtransceiver 238 to search for a Bluetooth paired device 240 (at 408). Ifa Bluetooth paired device 240 is found, the CPU 200 executes programinstructions to move the data to be uploaded to the data interface 236and to upload the data (at 410) using the Bluetooth transceiver 238. TheCPU 200 then enters low power sleep mode (412). If a paired Bluetoothdevice is not found (at 408), the CPU 200 executes program instructionsto enter a low power timed sleep state (at 409) for a predetermined timebefore it wakes up to scan for a paired Bluetooth device 240 once more.If it is determined (back at 392) that the current fluid volume isalready known, the CPU 200 executes program instructions to close thebottle record (404), see if there is data to upload (at 406), search fora paired Bluetooth device 240 (at 408), upload data, if required (at410) and sleep (at 412), as described above.

Although the invention has been described with reference to variousembodiments, the description provided, and the embodiments shown areexemplary only. For example, the volume sensor may be a volume by weightsensor, or a volume by electromagnetic reflection sensor, or any othervolume sensing technology, rather than the capacitive sensor systemdescribed.

The scope of the invention is therefore to be limited solely by thescope of the appended claims.

I claim:
 1. A baby bottle sensor with content deduction logic,comprising: a motion sensor adapted to determine an orientation of thebaby bottle sensor with respect to a horizon, and to detect motion ofthe baby bottle sensor in real time; and a central processing unit thatexecutes program instructions to receive signals from the motion sensorand further adapted to analyze the received signals to: determinewhether movements indicative of a mixing action for mixing formulapowder with water in the baby bottle occurs prior to receiving signalsindicative of a feeding of the baby from the baby bottle; deduce fromthe received signals whether formula that requires mixing, or some fluidthat does not require mixing is contained in the baby bottle; and recordthe deduction in an electronic bottle record associated with the babybottle.
 2. The baby bottle sensor as claimed in claim 1 wherein thecentral processing unit further executes program instructions to:determine if an open bottle record exists in a memory of the baby bottlesensor when signals received from the motion sensor indicate that thebaby bottle sensor is in motion; and if no electronic bottle record isopen in the memory, create an electronic bottle record provided that thecentral processing unit determines that a baby bottle is attached to thebaby bottle sensor.
 3. The baby bottle sensor as claimed in claim 2wherein the central processing unit further executes programinstructions to generate a unique identifier that is associated witheach bottle record created.
 4. The baby bottle sensor as claimed inclaim 1 wherein the central processing unit further executes programinstructions to analyze signals received from the motion detector todetect a rhythmic oscillation of bottle and further detect whether thebaby bottle is at an inclination at which feeding is probable.
 5. Thebaby bottle sensor as claimed in claim 4 wherein the central processingunit further comprises program instructions to create and manage atleast one feeding session record associated with each bottle recordcreated.
 6. The baby bottle sensor as claimed in claim 1 furthercomprising a data interface and a Bluetooth transceiver forcommunicating data accumulated in the electronic bottle record to anexternal paired Bluetooth device.
 7. The baby bottle sensor as claimedin claim 1 further comprising a control circuit to drive a lightemitting diode used to communicate with a user of the baby bottlesensor.
 8. The baby bottle sensor as claimed in claim 1 furthercomprising a control circuit to drive a sound generator used tocommunicate with a user of the baby bottle sensor.
 9. The baby bottlesensor as claimed in claim 1 wherein the motion sensor comprises adigital gyroscope and a digital accelerometer.
 10. The baby bottlesensor as claimed in claim 1 wherein the baby bottle sensor comprises abase with at least one lock button that locks the baby bottle sensor toa bottom of the baby bottle, the lock button being adapted to be movedby manual pressure to an unlocked condition for releasing the babybottle from the baby bottle sensor.
 11. A baby bottle sensor withcontent deduction logic, comprising: a motion sensor adapted todetermine an orientation of the baby bottle sensor with respect to ahorizon, and to detect motion of the baby bottle sensor in real time;and a central processing unit that executes program instructions toreceive signals from the motion sensor and further adapted to analyzethe received signals to: determine if an open bottle record exists in amemory of the baby bottle sensor when the received signals indicate thatthe baby bottle sensor is in motion; create an electronic bottle recordif no electronic bottle record is open in the memory and the centralprocessing unit determines that a baby bottle is attached to the babybottle sensor; determine whether movements indicative of a mixing actionfor mixing formula powder with water in the baby bottle occurs prior toreceiving signals indicative of a feeding of the baby from the babybottle; deduce from the received signals whether formula that requiresmixing, or some fluid that does not require mixing is contained in thebaby bottle; and record the deduction in the electronic bottle recordassociated with the baby bottle.
 12. The baby bottle sensor as claimedin claim 11 wherein the central processing unit is further adapted toreceive signals from the motion sensor and further adapted to analyzethe received signals and to execute program instructions to determine ifthe received signals indicate that a feeding of a baby using the babybottle is occurring and to create or update a feeding session recordassociated with the bottle record when feeding of the baby is determinedto have been detected.
 13. The baby bottle sensor as claimed in claim 11further comprising a Bluetooth transceiver for communicating dataaccumulated in the bottle record to an external paired Bluetooth device.14. The baby bottle sensor as claimed in claim 11 further comprising acontrol circuit that drives a light emitting diode and a control circuitthat drives a beep generator, used collectively or in unison, tocommunicate visual and/or auditory signals to a user of the baby bottlesensor.
 15. The baby bottle sensor as claimed in claim 11 wherein themotion sensor comprises a digital gyroscope and a digital accelerometerthat respectively generate signals analyzed by the central processingunit.
 16. The baby bottle sensor as claimed in claim 11 wherein the babybottle sensor comprises a base with at least one lock button that locksthe baby bottle sensor to the baby bottle, the lock button comprising alock tab that engages a groove in a bottom of the baby bottle, the lockbutton being pivotally hinged to a side of the baby bottle sensor sothat it may be pivoted by manual pressure to be moved to an unlockedcondition for releasing the baby bottle from the baby bottle sensor. 17.A baby bottle sensor with content deduction logic, comprising: a babybottle sensor base upon which a baby bottle attached to the baby bottlesensor rests; a motion sensing system that includes a digitalaccelerometer and a digital gyroscope, the motion sensing system beingadapted to generate signals analyzed by a central processing unit todetermine an orientation of the baby bottle sensor with respect to ahorizon, and detect motion of the baby bottle sensor in real time; andthe central processing unit further adapted to execute programinstructions receive signals from the motion sensor and further adaptedto analyze the received signals to: determine whether movementsindicative of a mixing action for mixing formula powder with water inthe baby bottle occurs prior to receiving signals indicative of afeeding of the baby from the baby bottle; deduce from the receivedsignals whether formula that requires mixing, or some fluid that doesnot require mixing is contained in the baby bottle; and record thededuction in an electronic bottle record associated with the babybottle; and a Bluetooth transceiver adapted to receive data from thecentral processing unit and communicate the data to a paired Bluetoothdevice that runs programs instructions for receiving and processing thedata and displaying the processed data in a user interface of the pairedBluetooth device.
 18. The baby bottle sensor as claimed in claim 17wherein the central processing unit is further adapted to receivesignals from the motion sensor and further adapted to analyze thereceived signals and to execute program instructions to determine if thereceived signals indicate that a feeding of a baby using the baby bottleis occurring and to create or update a feeding session record associatedwith the bottle record when feeding of the baby is determined to havebeen detected.
 19. The baby bottle sensor as claimed in claim 17 whereinthe baby bottle sensor base comprises opposed lock buttons, the opposedlock buttons comprising lock tabs that respectively engage a groove in abottom of the baby bottle, the lock buttons being pivotally hinged to aside of the baby bottle sensor so that they may be pivoted by manualpressure to an unlocked condition for releasing the baby bottle from thebaby bottle sensor.
 20. The baby bottle sensor as claimed in claim 17further comprising a power management circuit adapted to be connecteddirectly or indirectly to an external power source, for recharging arechargeable battery that provides operating power to the baby bottlesensor.